This large tank is one of many objects that have washed up on local beaches following the dramatic destruction of the Sandpiper, a 47-foot pleasure craft stolen from Astoria in February. Washington State Parks moved the tank to this access road near the Cape Disappointment campgrounds, from which it was subsequently removed.

ASTORIA — The Canadian man accused of allegedly leaving a dead fish on the porch of “The Goonies” house and then stealing a boat in February was indicted last week by a Clatsop County grand jury.

According to court documents, Jericho Wolf Labonte, 35, of Victoria, British Columbia, was indicted for theft in the first degree, unauthorized use of a vehicle, criminal mischief in the second degree and recklessly endangering another person.

Labonte was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after he was arrested by police at the Seaside warming center in the hours following a dramatic rescue by the U.S. Coast Guard in the Columbia River.

Labonte allegedly stole the 47-foot Ocean Alexander yacht named P/C Sandpiper from Astoria’s West Mooring Basin. The vessel belonged to Columbia Memorial Hospital Dr. David Leibel and his wife, Cindy.

It was not until the 5 p.m. television news that Cindy Leibel said she found out what happened to the Sandpiper. In utter shock, she watched footage of the boat capsize in the heavy surf and knew it was gone.

“I knew that the boat was stolen, but I didn’t know it was destroyed,” Cindy Leibel said. “I was prepared that it was going to have some damage, but I wasn’t prepared for what I saw.”

The Surf Pines couple, who learned of the fate of the Sandpiper separately, felt violated by the loss.

“We bought it during covid as our safe place,” Cindy Leibel said. “A lot of people bought RVs and we bought the boat. We’ve always had boats, though. It was a nice little safe haven to be away from everybody.”

They said they originally kept the Sandpiper in a gated marina at Gig Harbor, but moved it down to the Columbia in September 2021.

The Leibels had a zipped canvas encasing the back of the boat and a locked door on the other side intended to prevent easy access.

“It’s slowly that I’m realizing the loss of the boat,” said David Leibel, a urologist who joined Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria in 2004. “There’s suddenly no place to go.”

In the aftermath, the couple is dealing with their insurance company and the Washington State Department of Ecology. Wreckage continues to be removed from the Long Beach Peninsula shoreline.

The Leibels said they are being held responsible for the cleanup of the wreckage through their insurance company. As pieces of the Sandpiper wash ashore, they are liable to get it off the beach.

The couple expects to receive reimbursement equal to what they could have obtained from selling the Sandpiper. Even then, they said, it will not replace what they lost.

“If we get the cash value, it’s not gonna make up for it,” Cindy Leibel said. “We spent a lot of time and money fixing that boat up. We completely redid the electronics, the interior was all reupholstered, new carpet, new everything.”